Had a good gig tonight (Friday night.) I started the night with my left foot sore, but not too bad. Hours later it’s aching – actually throbbing. I probably should have sat a bit – or maybe a lot. ■ Tomorrow we’re performing at a benefit gig. It should be a good time. I’m looking forward to it. ■ Time for bed. ■ Where do I get the Slick 50 stuff, Jac. I’ve tried Ace and Autozone. No luck so far. ■
Fall is definitely here. Trees have turned, leaves are falling and the grass has pretty much stopped growing, or at least vastly slowed down. Now if mother nature will cooperate this year and let me actually clean out my gutters before freezing . . . . . ■ About a week ago I decided to give Chrome (Google’s browser) another chance. I’d downloaded it when it first came out, but it didn’t offer as much as Firefox did. For those of you still using Internet Explorer – there are other browsers that you can use – ones that offer more features, etc. At any rate I decided to give Chrome another try. It’s A LOT faster than Firefox! As a result I’ve been using it more and more for the past week. Today I downloaded ChromePlus. It’s become my browser of choice right now. It’s got to be twice as fast as Firefox and offers mouse gestures – which is a feature that plain Chrome lacks. Enough on browsers. ■ Gout/arthritis: I think my gout is gone – but I have one spot on the back of my left foot that has pain. I don’t think it’s gout. I have a strong suspicion that it’s arthritis. I’m limping because of it and really should be using a cane to help alleviate some of the difficulty in walking. In the morning it actually throbs. It’s painful going up and down stairs. ■
I have no idea what my post title means . . . but it is a big frog. ■ I don’t think we have this frog anymore – I believe we gave it back. It was/is a big frog. ■ Gout update: I still have gout in my left foot . . . at least I think it’s gout – but maybe it’s arthritis. I’ll have to ask my doctor. I’m still limping and my left heal hurts – it’s not fun, but it’s not a “killer.” I can still function – just not very well. ■ Jac, my across-the-street neighbor – came over today and cut his lawn and mine and my next-door-neighbor’s lawn. Thanks, Jac, I do appreciate it. ■ Tomorrow I have to get gas for the lawnmower and I think, get a haircut. And I think the band needs to practice. We have two gigs coming up this weekend and need to work on a new song – an original. ■
Yes, you can pull it out of me – I’m a dog person. I didn’t grow up with cats – just dogs, so cats have never been on my list of favorites. Mostly cats seem distant; don’t come when you call; are finicky; etc. Our daughter has 2 cats – Francis and Carl. Francis is not only your typical cat, but hisses at you and used to scratch you (from ambush) before she had her claws removed (thanks for that.) Carl, on the other hand, likes people (meaning me, of course) and will come if you call. Additionally Carl seems to seek me out and will jump up on my bed. Good cat. He’s a keeper. Francis on-the-other-hand . . . . . ■ Back to work today. It felt good – except for this lingering bout of gout that impedes my progress in going up and down stairs. ■
It was nice visiting my mother and seeing our daughter. I wish both were geographically closer, but life deals different hands. We’re pretty spread out --- Cary, Illinois, Louisville, Kentucky, San Diego, California, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Gig Harbor, Washington, and other places. ■ At any rate, we’re home again. My gout is still a major factor right now. I can get around without a cane, but would take 2 of them with me if I went out. The right foot is about 90% cured, but the left foot is only about 45%. This gout attack has been a killer – and maybe a life-changing one. Will it change my life? Don’t know. It’s definitely a wake-up call type of thing. I’ve never had it when I’ve really been unable to walk because of the pain. I’ll have to talk to my doctor. ■ I know it’s an old sign-off, but it is time for bed. More tomorrow. ■
That’s our route to Virginia – 900 miles worth. I’ll be blogging as we go so stay tuned for pictures and commentary, etc. ■ This afternoon I’ve got to pack, finish the set list for tonight, load my car with band gear and do a few other things. Time to get busy!
This is a photo of the sign on our door at work. There’s a small parking lot across from the store that WILL tow your car if it’s left there for more than 5 minutes. We’ve had a few customers that have had their car towed. It we see them park there we’ll tell ‘em to move their car, . . . but unfortunately we don’t see all of them. ■ Lots to do tomorrow . . . including a gig. It’ll be a late night tomorrow night – not what I need just before a vacation. That’s life. ■ Time for bed – in face – way past time for bed. Night . . . . . . ■
As a geography major/geology minor and quartermaster (navigation) in the Navy, maps of all types and air photography have always interested me. I can get lost for eons of time just browsing using Google maps, Google Earth, or Bing Maps 3D. You can see land-use patterns, discern the reason for roads being laid out the way they are and a dozen other things. Before we go on trips I always plot out our route using some of these tools. And these map environments are getting better and better each day. Google Maps will give you road closures, construction areas, and even traffic updates for various heavily traveled roads. Enough babbling about that. Oh, that photo is off of Google Earth and shows a good portion of Cary, IL. ■ It’s late – way past my bedtime – and I’ve got to get into work early tomorrow.
No pictures tonight. Steak on the grill, onions and mushrooms on the stove and baked beans on the stove too. It was a good meal. ■ This weekend we leave for the east coast to see my mother. We’ll be blogging from the car, so stay tuned for updates, pictures, etc. And you can comment back – and we’ll comment – sort of a two-way conversation. ■ Enough right now. Got to get to bed – again . . . . .
We finally got the new stove. To Holly and I it looks sort of “retro.” In fact just about all of the stoves we saw at the store looked “retro.” It has five burners – one of which is for the griddle. And they all have different BTUs. The oven has a window 
and the bottom is a warming oven. ■ Maybe I’ll make an omelet tomorrow to see how it works. Let’s see . . . eggs, feta cheese, onion, and tomato . . . mmmm . . . . . . ■ We’re starting to get prepared for our trip out east to see my mother. Got to get some clothes washed, stuff packed, etc. Unfortunately I have a late gig the night before we have to leave. I love playing, but it leaves you tired the next day for the trip. ■
Tomorrow we’re supposed to get a new stove delivered and installed. I think everyone would agree that it’s about time! That’s a snapshot of our current-soon-to-be-gone model. Photos coming of the new one after it’s installed. ■ Tomorrow also looks like a day to get the grass cut. It’s not long, but the next few days promise to rain. ■ Bullfrog has a gig this weekend. I’m looking forward to it. Charlie, our drummer, will be out of town, so we’re having a sub sit it. ■
It was good seeing family (Holly’s side) again. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen a lot of these folks. Unfortunately the occasion was a funeral, but then funerals are a way for everyone to reconnect. ■ The only downside of the trip was that I had a gout attack and it was in force when I woke up this morning. Both ankles were affected. It must have been funny to watch me walk. ■ At any rate I left this morning before the actual funeral service at the church in order to try and make it home before both feet were incapacitated. It was a painful trip. ■
I’m up to Green Bay for a funeral. Sometimes it seams that the only time the whole family gets together is for a funeral. ■
One of our good friends and the guitar player who fills in for me when I can’t do a gig, has survived cancer. There’s a benefit for his on Halloween. Bullfrog has been asked to play in support of him, which we are more than happy to do. It should be a good time for a good cause. ■ I’ve been asked to do a drawing for a “save-the-date” note card for our friend’s daughter’s wedding. I’m working on it and hope I’ll come up with something good. Kind of scary trying to draw something that’s not all straight lines. We’ll see what my drawing turns out like. (is that proper English???) ■ Had steak and home-made mashed potatoes tonight. I couldn’t resist the Saratoga steaks I saw in the grocery store today. Delicious. ■
Here’s the set list for the last gig – click on it to blow it up. ■ And this set list only contains about half of the songs we can play. It’s tough trying to move songs in and out of the list so that we don’t forget how to play all of them. ■ On to making chili . . . . .
I can’t believe that I’m making chili again. I just made some for our annual Chili Fest, but Holly and I just didn’t get our fill of it. So, here I am making it again. I’ve just finished smoking 16 lbs of beef and pork. Tomorrow I’ll put it all together in my two chili pots with spices, peppers, onions, tomatoes, . . . . . . etc. ■ Had a good gig this past weekend. I really changed the 1st set and people liked it. If I remember I’ll post it tomorrow and you can see what you think. ■ And speaking of our band, I think we’re going to record a cd of original tunes. I’ll keep you posted on that. ■ What else . . . oh, yeah, my ankles have been feeling like they’re broken. Strange. Makes it somewhat painful to walk. Strange. ■
